Beginning a new adventure as a second grade teacher this year; I have learned so much during the first short week of school, as I did during my first year of teaching. Second graders are definitely not third graders. I knew that would be the case going into this year and I was doing my best to anticipate how I might need to adapt my plans. As I was planning this summer, in a mountain of paperwork that is our grade level’s curriculum, I realized I needed to do something different. Everything was going to be new to me (from curriculum and assessments to the section of the building and our classroom), but I knew what would anchor me would be my students. If I spent the time in the beginning of the year to get to know them, from their passions and interests to their own unique characteristics and used that to help build our classroom community I knew we would be on solid ground for any challenges that came our way.
During this time of reflection this summer I heard the amazing Cornelius Minor present at ILA 17 (International Literacy Association Conference ‘17) about the importance of relationship building in school. Inspired by his presentation I challenged myself to commit to truly getting to know my students. To do this, I opted to keep a journal, one that I set up with tabs for each student. My goal is to know at least ten things about each student. I chose to keep a journal because I knew if I didn’t write down what I learned and reflect on it, the daily grind of the classroom would take over.
Only three days into the year, I know that I made a choice that will change me as a educator. I feel I know my amazing second graders better than I have known my other students by the mid point of the year. Taking time to reflect on what I see, hear and feel about them has allowed me to see new insights and helped shaped the way I teach. I have learned that one of my students has such an emphatic heart. She immediately went to student that was crying (because she was nervous), and comforted her. Acknowledging her actions as a guidepost for my students behavior is important, but I need to tap into her innate sense of compassion to help her harness her leadership capabilities. I heard a student complain that he doesn’t like to read, which breaks my heart. I know that his life isn’t easy and he has struggled in school, but I also knew he liked Spiderman. When I showed him some Spiderman books his face lit up. I know this will be my entry point to help build his love of books for him. My Amazon cart is full of some new superhero books for him to check out.
These are only two of the many examples that have blossomed in these past three days. I feel a joy that overflows as I know our year together will be better because I spent the time to listen, to watch and to reflect on my students. I would love to know how you get to know your students. What do you do harness the power of community within your classroom?
